Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman has reportedly distanced himself from opposition leaders Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot while favouring the formation of a unity government following Israel’s October 27 elections.
According to Israeli broadcaster N12 News, Liberman has stopped responding to calls from Bennett, leader of the B’Yachad party, and Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party. The report said the breakdown in communication began on Wednesday, a day after the election.
Liberman’s party is projected to win seven seats in the Knesset, falling short of pre-election polls that suggested it could secure as many as nine seats. He had campaigned for the prime minister’s office but failed to achieve his ambition.
Despite his apparent shift towards a unity government, Liberman has maintained his opposition to joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. He recently called on Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara to launch a criminal investigation into Netanyahu over allegations that he attempted to draw the Israeli military into a confrontation to delay the election.
N12 reported that Liberman was unwilling to be the first opposition figure to join Netanyahu’s bloc and would reportedly prefer Eisenkot to make that move alone.
The report also suggested that Liberman’s election strategy, which relied partly on an internal split within Netanyahu’s Likud party, had failed to deliver the expected outcome, as Likud remained the largest faction in the Knesset.
Meanwhile, the Maariv newspaper reported on Thursday that Netanyahu was considering a unity government with Eisenkot, citing sources close to the prime minister.
Sources close to Liberman told N12 that he was “choosing to lie in wait”, suggesting that a possible escalation in Israel’s security situation could create fresh opportunities for political realignment.
